In the Garden Articles

August Doldrums

by Joan S. Bolton

At times, I envy East Coast gardeners. Once they're snowbound, they have months to peruse gardening catalogs, magazines, books and the internet. They can sit back, plan and dream of a beautiful, bountiful spring.

But even we have a little slice of down time, right about now. By late summer our gardens are generally tuckered out, and fall planting is still a few weeks away.

But rather than wallowing in the doldrums, take time to wander around your garden, notebook in hand. Stroll through your neighborhood to see what's growing well. Gain inspiration by visiting local botanic and display gardens. That way you'll be ready when fall planting does begin.

To the north are Cal Poly's Leaning Pine Arboretum and San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden. To the south are Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens and Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Close to home is Wings at Waller Park.

Leaning Pine Arboretum

This little-known gem sits on five acres at the north end of Cal Poly's campus and was designed as a living classroom for students. But it's not a sequential layout with one species after another, ready for memorization.

Instead, it's valuable to home gardeners because the plants are laid out in swaths and vignettes that can be duplicated anywhere. Pick up a Garden Walk brochure at the entry sign before you start.

The emphasis is on landscape plants suited to our Mediterranean climate. You'll see hundreds of different plants that are perfect for our warm, dry summers and wet, cool winters. The plants are organized by geographic origin, so you can view the full complement of plants from the five Mediterranean regions of the world -- coastal California, Australia, South Africa, Chile and the Mediterranean basin in Europe.

A 4,000-square foot lawn composed of our native dune sedge (Carex praegracilis) displays a thrifty alternative to traditional turf. Mowed to 2 1/2-inches tall, the grass-like plant could easily pass for lawn. Yet according to arboretum director Tom Eltzroth, it gets watered for half an hour once a week, rather than 15 minutes a day like the nearby fescue lawn.

Specialty collections include palms, aloes and succulents from around the world, and primitive plants, such as cycads, ginkgo, horsetail and dawn redwood, again arranged in such a way that you can snap a picture, copy the tags and replicate the design at home.

Given the casual nature of most of the arboretum, the "Dwarf and Unusual Conifer Garden" and "Formal Garden seem a little out of place. But they're undoubtedly good teaching tools for students who relocate to other areas of the country.

Just before the arboretum entrance is a new seasonal display garden simply called the "Herbaceous Garden." Technically, it's not part of the arboretum. But it still provides nifty design ideas for home gardeners. A number of the plants are shorter-lived perennials, annuals and vegetables, and require regular or frequent watering.

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden

A few miles out of town in El Chorro Regional Park, the "Preview Garden" offers a glimpse of what the group's directors plan to eventually develop into a 150-acre garden.

The existing two acres feature plants from Mediterranean climates around the world. But rather than take-home design, this is a place to learn about individual plants. Interpretive displays abound. A straw bale bench was created by children and parents at a family camp. A full-size Chumash Indian ap, or hut, has been constructed from tule reeds and willow branches. A new onsite treatment system will take wastewater from the soon-to-open Education Center, cleanse the waste through a series of filters and special plants, then pump the water to irrigate the garden's meadow.

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden 205 178

The garden also sponsors a broad range of activities. Saturday, September 8, will feature a "Tomato Extravaganza," along with a talk about why California natives thrive in our climate.

Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens

Close to downtown Santa Barbara, this park covers an entire city block.

It's a great spot to view more than 40 varieties of mature, garden-worthy trees. A kiosk near Garden Street shows a map of the older trees. You can also pick up a guide at the city's Parks Division office at 402 E. Ortega Street. Unusual specimens include an old, gnarled New Zealand tea tree hanging over the wall at the corner of Micheltorena and Garden Streets, and silk floss trees with fat, gray trunks studded with spikes mid-way up Santa Barbara Street.

Broad paths pass by a pond stocked with turtles and koi, a gazebo and dry stream beds. Plantings toward the center of the garden tend to rely on regular irrigation, while those along the perimeter are more likely to be water-conserving shrubs, perennials and ground covers. Many of the plants bear labels.

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

You'll find nothing but natives along the 5 1/2 miles of trails that criss-cross the garden's 78 acres. At the center of the garden is a sweeping meadow of perennial bunchgrasses, herbs and wildflowers. Traipse down the trail to Mission Creek where you'll find a canopy of redwoods. Hike up the Porter Trail to sunshine, ceanothus and companion species such as flannel bush, Matilija poppy and sage.

Most of the garden appears in a natural state and its large scale would be difficult to replicate. But a home demonstration garden displays drought-resistant natives bearing a more refined, garden-ready look.

Wings at Waller Park

Close to home, the Orcutt Garden Club has launched "Wings at Waller Park," a small display garden designed to attract and nourish birds and butterflies. Lavender, sage, buckwheat and manzanita are among the water-conserving Mediterranean and native plants. Unfortunately, the plants are awaiting tags. But the garden does provide an opportunity to see how the plants perform in extremely sandy soil.

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Special Considerations

During winter, Eastern gardens often present a blank canvas. Plants are covered in snow or have dropped their leaves.

On the Central Coast, our plants may look beleaguered in late summer. But they're not usually bare. So we have to be more creative in envisioning what to tear out, fill in or replace.

When considering new plants, be sure to check whether they'll tolerate the cold temperatures that we had earlier this year. Also consider the plants' watering needs. With much talk of drought, look for Mediterranean and native plants that require little irrigation.

Particulars

Leaning Pine Arboretum

8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Saturday, except academic holidays

Admission: free; Parking: free on weekends

805/756-2888

www.leaningpinearboretum.calpoly.edu

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Environmental Horticultural Science Unit, building 48, on Via Carta

San Luis Obispo Botanic Garden 13 205 178

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden

7 a.m. - dusk, daily

Admission & Parking: free

805/546-3501

www.slobg.org

El Chorro Regional Park. On Hwy 1, 4 1/2 miles from Hwy 101, directly across from Cuesta College

Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens

Sunrise - 10 p.m., daily

Admission & Parking: free

805/897-2692

www.santabarbaraca.gov/Parks

Bounded by Santa Barbara, Micheltorena, Garden and Arrellaga Streets

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

9 a.m. - 6 p.m., March-October; 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., November - February

Admission: $8.00 adults, free with membership; Parking: free

805/682-4726

www.sbbg.org

1212 Mission Canyon Road

Wings at Waller Park

8 a.m. - sunset

Admission & Parking: free

Take the one-way loop that leads to the dog park. As you go up the first hill, look for the garden on the right hand-side. It's in the lee of a stand of redwoods, with the gazebo in the distance.

Seeds of Wisdom

Take your camera with you when you visit display gardens. Each time you photograph a prospective plant or grouping of plants, shoot the plant tags as well.